China Urges Philippines to Rescue Chinese HostageChinese Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan urged the Philippine government on Monday to take every step possible to rescue a Chinese men held hostage by Philippine rebel group.In a letter to Philippine Vice President Foreign Minister Teofisto Guingona Jr., Tang said that human life is the most precious thing and the Chinese government has been day and night concerned about the safety of the Chinese workers ever since Zhang Zhongqiang was held hostage on June 20. The Chinese government, which has been hoping the Philippine government could launch an effective rescue operation, is deeply saddened by and regrets the death of two Chinese hostages, which inflicted enormous pain and loss on the families of the deceased. At the present, the whereabouts of Chinese citizen Zhang Zhongyi are not known, Tang said. "The Chinese side has noted the pledge by the Philippine government and trusts the ability of the Philippine government to honor its promise for properly handling the crisis," the Chinese foreign minister said. The Philippine government must rescue Zhang Zhongyi as soon as possible without risking his life, and at the same time ensure the safety of other Chinese workers engaged in a construction project, Tang said in his reply to a letter from Guingona. Guingona said that the Philippine government will spare no effort to find out those who are responsible for the kidnapping and murder and bring them to justice while trying its best to rescue the last hostage. Two Chinese Hostages Confirmed Killed in PhilippinesThe Philippine military confirmed that two of the four Chinese nationals held by a kidnap-for-ransom group in the southern Philippines were killed by their captors Sunday while another one escaped following a firefight with the army. The public information office of the Armed Forces of the Philippines told Xinhua that government soldiers engaged about 60 gang members around 9 a.m. in a marshland in Colombio in the southern province of Sultan Kudarat. |
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